President Rodrigo Duterte raises the hand of his long-time aide, Senator Bong Go when the latter filed his COC for vice president. Image from John Eric Mendoza
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Bong Go on Saturday filed his certificate of candidacy for the position of vice president in the 2022 national elections.
Go arrived with President Rodrigo Duterte at about 3:25 PM at the Harbor Garden Tent at in Sofitel hotel in Pasay City to lodge his COC.
Before serving as a senator in 2019, Go was a special assistant to Duterte with jurisdiction over the Presidential Management Staff (PMS).
Prior to that, he was a long-time aide of Duterte when the latter was still mayor of Davao City.
Earlier, Go was nominated by the Cusi-wing of the Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) as its presidential nominee, alongside Duterte, who had accepted his nomination for vice president.
Go, however, said that he is not interested in running for president.
Recently, Go’s name had been dragged into the anomalous and overpriced award of an over P8 billion contract with Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Inc. to supply the Department of Health with medical supplies for health workers.
He had denied having a hand in the Pharmally deal, or influence over former Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao, who was the erstwhile chief of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management which awarded the contract to the company.
Lao had previously worked under the PMS, though both he and Go had denied having known one another.